Dianthus plant named ‘Paint the Town Magenta’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique plant cultivar of perennial carnation or pinks,  Dianthus  plant named ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ with numerous, single, fragrant flowers in a strong flush in late spring and continuing until mid-fall of fringed vibrant magenta petals, over finely-textured bluish-green foliage.  Dianthus  ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ has vigorous compact habit, is tolerant of high temperatures, resists center die-out and does not require vernalization for effective flowering.

Botanical denomination: Dianthus hybrid.

Cultivar designation: ‘Paint the Town Magenta’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of carnation or pinks from the genus Dianthus and given the cultivar name ‘Paint the Town Magenta’. The new plant was the result of an intentional cross on Jun. 4, 2012 by the inventor at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA between Dianthus ‘Neon Star’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,549 times and ‘Kahori’ (not patented). Seeds of the cross were harvested in July of 2012. The new hybrid was first isolated from trials at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. during the summer of 2013 as a single seedling clone and given the breeder number 12-47-2 during the remaining evaluation processes. Dianthus ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ has been asexually propagated at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. since 2012 using traditional shoot tip cutting procedures and found to reproduce plants that are identical and exhibit all the characteristics of the original plant.

No plants of Dianthus ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ have been sold in this country, or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which was disclosed within one year of the filing of this application and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment including: growing temperature, available sunlight, nutrients, water, etc. without a change in the genotype of the plant.

Comparing the new plant with the female parent, ‘Neon Star’, the new plant has a slightly taller habit in flower, is also broader in width has a longer flowering season and the flower color is a deeper magenta. Compared to the male parent, ‘Kahori’, the new plant is taller and wider in habit, has foliage with more blue coloration, and the flower color is more magenta. Other similar Dianthus include: ‘Witch Doctor’ (not patented) and ‘Love Doctor’ (not patented). Dianthus ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ has foliage that is more blue than either of these two. It is taller and wider in habit to both ‘Witch Doctor’ and ‘Love Doctor’. The flower color of ‘Witch Doctor’ is more raspberry and the flower color of ‘Love Doctor’ is a softer pink and not and not as intense magenta as the new plant.

Dianthus ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ is distinct from its parents and all other Dianthus known to the applicant in the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Single flowers with five overlapping petals of fuchsia.     -   2. Petals having a coarsely serrated apex.     -   3. Numerous flowers per plant on heavily branched stems.     -   4. Prolonged flowering period with a strong flush in late spring         and continuing to mid-fall.     -   5. Small flower size producing a sweetly spicy fragrance.     -   6. High heat tolerance with no vernalization required for flower         production.     -   7. Floriferous, vigorous, with compact habit and finely-textured         blue-green foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the Dianthus ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ demonstrate the overall appearance, including the unique traits, of a two-year-old plant in a full-sun trial garden. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with modern color reproductions. Some slight variation of color may occur as a result of lighting quality, intensity, wavelength, direction or reflection.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

FIG. 2 shows the habit of the plant in early-season flowering.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following detailed description of the new plant is based on observations of two-year-old plants in full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA with supplemental watering, light additions of fertilizer and free of pinching or plant growth regulators. All color usage is in accordance with the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used.

-   Botanical classification: Dianthus hybrid. -   Parentage: ‘Neon Star’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,549 as the female or     seed parent and ‘Kahori’ (not patented) as the male or pollen     parent. -   Plant habit: Caespitose, herbaceous, evergreen perennial; erect     stems and finely-branched peduncles, large number of flowers; height     of foliage about 8.0 cm and about 36.0 cm across; height in flower     is about 12.0 cm.     -   -   Root system.—Fine, fibrous; color nearest RHS 155D.         -   Vigor.—Good, spring planted plugs finish in 3.8 liter pots             in seven to eight weeks. -   Foliage:     -   -   Leaf type.—Simple, linear, opposite, decussate, sessile,             glabrous, glaucous on adaxial and abaxial; margin entire to             microscopically serrulate; acute apex; base decurrent,             adpressed along stem and slightly perfoliate; no fragrance             detected.         -   Leaf dimensions.—To about 5.0 cm long and about 4.0 mm wide,             average about 4.2 cm long and 4.0 mm wide.         -   Leaf color.—Young expanding leaves abaxial and adaxial             nearest RHS N138A; mature adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS             N138A.         -   Venation.—Not pronounced; obscurely pinnate, coloration same             as that of leaf top and bottom. -   Stems: Beginning erect and becoming arching with development of     flowers; terete, glabrous, glaucous, branching at alternate nodes;     about 200 per plant.     -   -   Stem size.—About 16.0 cm long and about 2.5 mm diameter at             base.         -   Stem color.—Nearest RHS 138A with slight glaucous bloom             nearest RHS N138D.         -   Branching.—Numerous; typically alternate, from upper and             lower leaf axils; about 12 per main stem; branch size             average about 3.5 cm at time of initial flowering.         -   Nodes.—About 11 to 12 per stem; about 4.0 mm diameter; color             nearest RHS 138B.         -   Internodes.—Average about 0.5 cm apart depending on growing             temperature, shorter in cooler conditions. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Terminal, cymose; salverform.         -   Attitude.—Upright.         -   Dimension.—About 6.0 cm above foliage.         -   Flowers per stem.—Typically one, rarely two.         -   Pedicel.—Glaucous, glabrous, terete.         -   Pedicel size.—Terminal flower variable, between about 2.8 cm             and 5.0 cm long, average about 4.5 cm long and 1.1 mm             diameter; other flowers average about 1.0 cm long and 1.0 mm             diameter.         -   Pedicel color.—Nearest RHS 137A.         -   Flower.—Perfect; actinomophic; single; about 220 flowers per             plant in peak late spring.         -   Flower bud one day prior to opening.—Glaucous, glabrous,             long ellipsoid with rounded apex and rounded base.         -   Flower bud size.—One day prior to opening — about 2.3 cm             long and about 4.5 mm diameter in tube and 6.0 mm diameter             at petals; style not protruding.         -   Flower bud color.—With petals exposed and still tight —             petals nearest RHS 71A.         -   Flower period.—Beginning with strong flush in late spring             and continuing more sparsely through mid-fall; effective             about twenty-two weeks per flowering season.         -   Flower fragrance.—Light, sweet spicy, clove-like.         -   Flower lasting quality.—About six days on or cut from plant.         -   Petals.—Glabrous except at base of limb pubescent; five per             flower; consisting of a rounded blade or limb and a claw;             limb and claw combined are obovate with long tapered claw;             apex and margin with coarse dentations 3.0 mm deep; limb             bent outwardly in distal 15.0 mm to nearly a ninety degree             angle; claw tapering to attenuate base about 1.0 mm across;             persistent; limbs imbricate.         -   Petal color.—Young adaxial nearest RHS 71A in limb, claw             basal portion nearest RHS 155D and claw between base and             limb nearest RHS 145D; young abaxial nearest RHS 64A in             limb, claw base nearest RHS 145D and claw portion between             base and limb nearest RHS 145C; mature adaxial limb between             RHS 71A and RHS 71B, claw base nearest RHS 155D and claw             between base and limb nearest RHS 145C; mature abaxial limb             between RHS 64A and RHS 64B, claw base nearest RHS 145D and             claw between base and limb nearest RHS 145C.         -   Petal dimension.—Average about 29.0 mm long and about 15.0             mm across at widest part of limb; claw portion average about             14.0 mm long and about 1.0 mm at base; limb portion average             about 15.0 mm long and about 15.0 mm wide.         -   Calyx.—Glabrous, glaucous; margins entire; consisting of             five sepals with acute apex and fused base forming             five-toothed corolla tube fused in proximal about 10.0 mm;             individually about 1.3 cm long and about 2.0 mm across at             fusion; campanulate to about 13.0 mm long and about 4.5 mm             in diameter.         -   Calyx color.—Abaxial nearest RHS 137B with slight blushing             of nearest RHS 185B; adaxial nearest RHS 138C.         -   Peduncle.—Glabrous, glaucous, terete, flexible and stiff;             about 4.0 cm long and about 1.2 mm diameter at base.         -   Peduncle color.—Nearest RHS 137A.         -   Bracts.—Two pair, opposite, glaucous, glabrous; sessile;             margin entire, broadly obtuse to deltoid with acute apex;             outer pair about 6.0 mm long and about 3.5 mm wide; inner             pair about 7.0 mm long and about 4.0 mm wide.         -   Bract color.—Abaxial and adaxial nearest RHS 137A with             adaxial and abaxial margin of about 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm wide             nearest RHS 145D with slight tinting of nearest RHS 187B.         -   Androecium.—Typically ten, rudimentary; fused in basal             phalange. Filaments: phalange about 2.0 mm long, total about             4.5 mm long; average total about 4.3 mm long and individual             filament portion about 0.2 mm diameter; color phalange             nearest RHS 145A and individual filament between RHS 145D             and RHS 155D. Anther: typically rudimentary; flattened             deltoid to ellipsoid; basifixed; about 1.0 mm long and about             0.5 mm across; color between RHS 161B and RHS161C. Pollen:             not observed.         -   Gynoecium.—Style: typically split in two just above ovary.             Pistil: glabrous abaxial surface and puberulent adaxial             surface; curled in distal 4.0 mm; about 20.0 mm long and             about 1.0 mm diameter; color adaxial nearest RHS 71A,             abaxial whiter than RHS 155D proximally with distal tinting             of between RHS 71A and RHS N79C. Stigma: puberulent; about             0.5 mm long and 0.5 mm wide; slightly curled; color nearest             RHS N79C. Ovary: superior; ellipsoid-shaped; about 7.0 mm             long and about 3.0 mm wide; color nearest RHS 146B. -   Fruit: Capsule; oblong ovoid to cylindrical; opening by 4 teeth;     about 3.0 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter; color between RHS 164B and     RHS 164C when dried. -   Seed: Not observed. -   Disease resistance: The new plant is resistance to center die out     from fungus or high temperatures. The plant grows best with adequate     moisture and well-drained soil, but is able to tolerate high     temperatures and some drought once established. Hardiness at least     from USDA zone 4 through zone 9. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Dianthus plant named ‘Paint the Town Magenta’ essentially as herein described and illustrated. 